About Quill & Reed
Why Quill & Reed exists.
Quill & Reed was built from the author’s side of the table.
Its founder went through the process of writing a book, approaching publishers, receiving multiple offers, turning down four of them and eventually signing a publishing deal.
The experience raised a simple question: could publishing be clearer, more transparent and more useful to authors from the first idea through to finding readers?
What is Quill & Reed?
Quill & Reed is an independent publishing studio that helps authors move from manuscript through production, publishing, launch and ongoing audience growth while retaining control of their copyright, royalties and publishing accounts under the standard service model.
The starting point
Publishing a book is not one decision. It is dozens of decisions.
Most authors meet these questions one at a time, often after they have already committed to something. Quill & Reed exists to make them clearer — ideally before any money changes hands.
- Is the manuscript ready?
- Does it need editing?
- Who owns the rights?
- What does the publisher actually do?
- What does the author still have to do?
- How does distribution work?
- Who markets the book?
- Who owns the accounts?
- Who receives the royalties?
- What happens after launch?
Where it began
Quill & Reed started with one author trying to work it out himself.
The founder of Quill & Reed did not begin by deciding to start a publishing company. He began by writing.
Then came submissions, publishing conversations, offers, contracts and difficult decisions about which route actually made sense. Four publishing offers were turned down before the right agreement was signed.
Through that process, one thing became increasingly obvious: even after a book is accepted and published, authors can still be expected to build much of the audience around it themselves.
That gap between publishing the book and helping the author grow around it became the starting point for Quill & Reed.
The model
A different type of publishing relationship.
Quill & Reed is a paid publishing service. It is built around a few simple ideas, which shape how the packages, pricing and specialist work are designed.
- Authors should understand what they are paying for
- Authors keep their copyright under the standard service model
- Authors keep their royalties
- Authors keep their publishing accounts
- Authors keep their audience and mailing-list data
- Specialist work is recommended because it is needed, not because it is profitable to sell
- Publishing should not end the day the book goes live
- Authors need help with discoverability and audience-building too
- Technology should make publishing more efficient, not make the author feel processed
Before and after
Help before the publishing transaction, and after it.
Most publishing services begin at the point of sale and end at publication. Quill & Reed is designed to be useful earlier — while the book is still an idea or a draft — and to continue after launch, because a book still needs work after it is published.
- Idea
- Free tools and a short founder conversation to help turn an idea into a plan.
- Writing
- Practical guidance, and a free Manuscript Health Check for work in progress.
- Publishing
- Editing, design, production, metadata and distribution, with author approval at each stage.
- Growth
- Website, mailing list, content and launch activity that the author owns.
Principles
Five principles
- 1. Clarity
- Explain what is happening, what it costs and why.
- 2. Ownership
- The author keeps control of the work they created.
- 3. Appropriate expertise
- Use specialist editors, designers and illustrators when the book actually needs them.
- 4. Useful technology
- Use modern tools to reduce friction, identify issues and improve workflow without pretending technology replaces judgement.
- 5. Long-term author growth
- Think beyond publication day.
Honesty
What Quill & Reed is not
Quill & Reed is not a traditional publisher that acquires rights and pays advances. It does not “select” authors because they can pay, and it cannot guarantee bookshop placement or sales. It is a paid publishing and author-growth service, and says so plainly.
Read more
More about how we work
- The founder story
- Why four offers were turned down, and what the process taught him.
- Our approach
- How we start with your stage, review before production and keep you approving decisions.
- Our promise
- Your book, copyright, royalties, accounts and audience — and what we will not pretend.
- Specialists
- How editors, illustrators and designers are brought in, and when.
